Principal's Page

Celebrating our Student Leaders

On Monday of Week 5, Year 6 attended a Training Day for our revitalised Peer Support Program which we have named Paddle Peer Program. As the students will be in groups and a group of platypuses is called a paddle, we liked this as it is in keeping with the use of our totem,  the platypus.

This training day helped to prepare our Year 6 students for their important role as Peer Program leaders throughout the year. Students will develop leadership, communication and teamwork skills while learning how to support younger students in fostering positive relationships and wellbeing across our school community. 

The Paddle Peer Program that has been developed in line with the updated PDHPE syllabus outcomes, SPB4L and My Acts of Kindness initiatives. The program has also been designed to integrate our new Catherine McAuley Learning Framework, which prioritises learning while embedding our learning and wellbeing principles of Connecting, Striving and Discovering. 

Students across the school have been placed into vertical K–6 groups (called Paddle Packs) that they will remain in for their time at McAuley. This initiative aims to create an additional support network across the school, fostering connection, belonging and positive relationships between students of all ages. 

The first Peer Support session will be held at school on Thursday 21st May. Following this, sessions will take place during Weeks 5 and 8 of each term. We look forward to seeing our Year 6 students embrace this opportunity to grow as leaders and role models within our school community.

One of the activities the students engaged with, in groups, was an affinity mapping exercise. Across all groups, several highly consistent themes emerged. Students demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of leadership as relational, empathetic and values-driven rather than positional or authoritative. The affinity mapping reveals a strong collective emphasis on kindness, inclusion, responsibility and emotional awareness.

Overarching Insight

Students overwhelmingly view leadership as:

• being kind and approachable
• helping and including others
• listening respectfully
• modelling positive behaviour
• standing up for others
• showing empathy and emotional intelligence
• creating safety and belonging within a community

Rather than focusing on power or authority, students consistently framed leadership as service, care and influence through actions.

Major Themes Identified

1. Kindness and Respect

This was the strongest and most repeated theme across every affinity map.

Students associated leadership with:

• being kind to everyone
• showing respect at all times
• using kind language
• making others feel welcome
• treating everyone fairly
• being caring and compassionate

• avoiding rude or hurtful behaviour

  Repeated ideas included:

• “Be kind”
• “Being respectful”
• “Being caring”
• “Being approachable”
• “Never being rude”

• “Kind to everyone even if you don’t like them”

  Interpretation

Students perceive kindness as the foundation of leadership and community culture. Respect is viewed not simply as compliance, but as how people speak, listen and interact with others daily.

What an exceptional group of young leaders, I am very proud of these students. 

Stars of Orange Dress Rehearsal

Wow!!! What a show. I am sure all of you who witnessed this dress rehearsal were as impressed as I was. I am sure you will join with me in wishing our teachers and students good luck on Saturday night as they strutt their stuff at the official show. I am an exceptionally proud principal. Remember the dance is a secret until after the show on Saturday night!

(Unfortunately, there are no photos to show as everything is underwraps until Saturday night. 

Newly Appointed Aboriginal Education Officer

Jared Burns has been appointed as Aboriginal Education Officer, starting Monday, 1st June. I am sure you will join me in welcoming Jared to his new role. 

Jared is very experienced in working with Indigenous groups both in schools and in the area of cultural enrichment, in sharing tradition and support through culture, connection, and community-led mentoring.

Congratulations Oliver Apps

Well Done Oliver!!! Oliver Apps won First Highly Commended at the CWA Public Speaking competition on Tuesday morning. Catherine McAuley can celebrate that he achieved 3rd place out of 28 participants from other schools in his age group. His topic was “if animals could talk”.

We are very proud of this wonderful result - definitely a proud principal moment!